


the scenic route

by ElasticElla



Series: follower milestone ficlets [9]
Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Alternate Universe - No Powers, Alternate Universe - No Superheroes, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-06-13
Updated: 2016-06-13
Packaged: 2018-07-14 22:16:23
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 740
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7193027
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ElasticElla/pseuds/ElasticElla
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Sam isn't even out of Virginia yet when his car breaks down.</p>
            </blockquote>





	the scenic route

**Author's Note:**

> as far as I know clayton, va doesn't exist sorry if it does >.>

Sam isn't even out of Virginia yet when his car breaks down. He's only five hours into his road trip, had been thinking about stopping for lunch when Lucy decides to just quit for no discernible reason. And of course, because he's just that lucky, his phone has no reception in the middle of no where. 

Sam waits outside Lucy for five minutes, staring at the no signal icon on his phone. No one passes, and this is exactly what he gets for wanting to take the scenic route across the country. Hell, he should have just flown and spent more time playing the tourist on the west coast. He decides to walk further along the road, heading back was empty land for at least twenty miles- a forwards gamble _had_ to be better than that. 

Things finally start looking up three miles forward, a mechanic's coming into view at the same time his cell gets a single bar. Go figure. 

There's an 'out to lunch/back in 15' cardboard sign up in the front window, and Sam almost laughs, because _of course_ this is happening. There is a bench though, and he'd much rather get off his feet than continue into whatever town he's in. 

Google maps reveals- very, very slowly reveals- that the town of Clayton consists of a bunch of houses with excessive land, a single diner, a post office and church combo, and a general store. An angry yelp review comes up about the mechanic, and Sam decides to pocket his phone. It's not like he was going to call triple-a in, they'd charge something ridiculous to get towed and would probably just bring him back here anyways. 

Sam closes his eyes, tiredness winning out over hunger. A car passes, but they're coming from where Sam did, don't slow down and he doesn't bother opening his eyes. Some more time passes, indefinite from his hazy almost asleep but not really state, and then a motorcycle's coming in. 

The guy's tossing a pair of keys in his hand, the other fairly stiff, and Sam recognizes that it's a prosthetic late. It's far more advanced than the ones he's seen for vets, and he wonders if this guy created his own or- or he's talking and Sam's just staring like a creep. 

“-the blue Passat three miles up?” 

“Uh yeah, that's mine. It just stopped working, I'm not sure why.” 

“I'll tow it back, do you want to come with or-”

Sam's stomach interrupts for him with a loud growl, and Sam's cheeks heat up. “There's a diner a few miles in?” 

The man snorts, “Yeah. I have a junker you can borrow for the time being if you want. Pay gas and anything you break you buy.” 

Sam agrees, is way too hungry to care that it's a tiny bug. One signed free lease later, with _Bucky_ and Sam's off to the town's diner. One steak and cheese and Sam's feeling much more human, heading back with a smile. It's been like an hour, and it wasn't like Bucky was crawling with clients, Lucy would be fixed and he'd hit the road again. He'd be a day later to Arizona, but whatever. It'd make for a fun story. (And let's be real: the chances of him thinking about the hunky mechanic's arms late at night is pretty high.)

“When's the last time you changed your oil?” Bucky demands the moment he's back, and Sam _might_ get a little defensive. 

“I dunno, whenever the dealership told me it was recommended.” 

Bucky winces, pinching the bridge of his nose, “So the last time was…?” 

“When I got it? It hasn't come up. Why?” 

“Your engine's totally fried. I can fix it but it'll be pricey and take at least a week.”

“Great,” Sam says. It wasn't like he could take his vacation later, already took the time off work and arranged for Steve to lead the vet ptsd support group. “Is there a nearby inn or motel that google missed?” 

“Not a formal one, no. I have a spare for $30 a night.”

“That include breakfast?” Sam asks, a weak joke as he rearranges his road trip plans. 

Bucky snorts, “If you like Chex. It's on a farm though, I know how you city types find animals magical.” 

“Oh you did not,” Sam starts, a smile slipping onto his lips. At the very least, it'll be an interesting week.


End file.
